I've always considered TSMZ to be GY!BE-lite, always sort of hanging in the shadows of a much larger project. While this is by no means a bad thing, it can cause struggles with a bands own identity. That is, if you don't make an ambitious, beautiful record such as this. The follow up to 2000's He Has Left Us Alone..., Born Into Trouble is exactly the type of record TSMZ needed to separate themselves from their parent band, and it is done expertly. This album can certainly get some tears out of the listener with songs like "Sisters! Brothers!..." and "Built Then Burnt", but it also has songs that display a sense of urgency, like "Take These Hands And Throw Them In The River" and "C'mon COME ON". The true highlight is "Could've Moved Mountains", which just may be one of greatest post-rock songs ever made. Though on the whole TSMZ tends to stay in the shadow of GY!BE, this album proves that they are most certainly their own band, and are capable of making fantastic records, too.
Bump |
